The Themes of Ambition and Power Corrupting
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the themes of ambition and power corrupting are presented as vices of the protagonist, Macbeth, and serve to cause his tragic downfall. Macbeth first gains power in the beginning of the play when he defeats the Thane of Cawdor, a traitor to Scotland. The Witches professed this and it caused Macbeth to believe that whatever they said would come true. When they told him he would one day become the King of Scotland, he decided to take a bloody path, which progressively led him to more power. As his power grew, his corruption did as well, and he simply got rid of any person that threatened his kingship by killing them. Macbeth’s power and ambition untimely commenced to lead him down a slippery, murderous downfall.
Macbeth’s ambition is the essential reason why he turned from a noble Thane to a violent and bloody tyrant. Initially after gaining the title of Thane of Cawdor, he remained humble and morally upright. However, soon after the victory, he heard of the Witches’ prophecy and realized the untapped ambition within himself. Although he had come across ambition, his intention to use it was little. It was Lady Macbeth that fully persuaded Macbeth to use his ambition in order to gain power and position. Under her influence, Macbeth murdered King Duncan to gain kingship and killed the Chamberlains in order to cover up his wrongdoing. His ambition next led him to kill Banquo, a trustworthy, noble, and moral friend. This murder showed just how out of control Macbeth had gotten. At this point, he was no longer under the influence of Lady Macbeth and began to view Banquo as a threat to his advancement instead of an asset to the wellbeing of Scotland. Finally, Macbeth conducts his last major act of violence by murdering Macduff’s family after he is warned that Macduff is in England assembling an army against Macbeth. This killing was wholly purposeless. Macduff was bound to attack Macbeth, because he regarded him as a tyrant. He knew Macbeth was no longer suited to be in a position of authority over Scotland, and this only helped his case.
The other effects of ambition in Macbeth had a small, yet noticeable impact on the main characters. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were both deeply afflicted because of their ambition. Both of them suffered from tremendous guilt as a result of their ambition, and Lady Macbeth eventually killed herself over it. Along with this, Malcom knew ambition was prevalent during Macbeth’s tyranny, and he wanted to prevent it from being present in the position of the throne in the future. He ensured this prevention by testing Macduff. He lies to Macduff and tells him that his vices overbear his virtues, wanting to see whether Macduff is honorable and trustworthy toward Scotland, or whether he has been manipulated by Macbeth and has similar selfish intentions in mind. However, ambition was most seen through Macbeth and his egocentric choices. Ambition not only turned Macbeth into a selfish tyrant, but he continued to murder all those in his path without once considering the repercussions that his decisions would have on the wellbeing of Scotland.
As Macbeth began to gain more power through his ruthless advancements, his morals and nobility were greatly corrupted. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth has done a great deed for Scotland and received praise from King Duncan. In addition to this, Macbeth struggles greatly from an internal moral conflict when he was deciding to kill Duncan. At this point, Macbeth had no gained any significant power, but it was clear that he possessed basic morality. After killing Duncan, he emerged as king and did not look back. Although suffering from guilt, when he had to make a decision about ending someone’s life, he didn't consult his morals nor think twice. It should also be noted that as he moved into a powerful position in Scotland, he no longer need Lady Macbeth’s stern hand to make poor choices. As his independence grew, his pride developed and he turned into a tyrant. His coming into power corrupted him in the sense that he turned from a seemingly invincible warrior that wanted to serve Scotland, to a prideful tyrant that was lusting for power. This corruption was best summarized in the last act of the play when the Witches give Macbeth their final prophecy. They said that, “…none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth,” and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood…Shall come against him.” After hearing this from the Witches, Macbeth is under the impression that it is physically impossible to kill him. However, his pride serves a fatal blind spot. He fails to recognize that Macduff was born from a cesarean section, and that Macduff’s army would use the wood from Birnam to fight against Macbeth’s army. He did not pick up on this because what he heard from the Witches was what he wanted to hear. He wanted his power to be absolute and confirmed, and it was in his mind after their prophecy. These two misconceptions led to Macbeth’s death and ultimate downfall. Macbeth’s power corrupted him into becoming a tyrant, and led him to an internal stage where he fatally misconceived himself as being invincible.
Shakespeare included the themes of ambition and power corrupting through the protagonist, Macbeth. Macbeth’s tragic downfall was a direct result of these two themes. His mind and decision-making were manipulated by the power he gained. Because Macbeth was portrayed as a noble thane in the beginning of the play, the flaws were very easy to spot. The themes of ambition and power corrupting are best seen through the character of Macbeth, as his actions and decisions highlighted the transformation from noble thane to power hungry tyrant.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the themes of ambition and power corrupting are presented as vices of the protagonist, Macbeth, and serve to cause his tragic downfall. Macbeth first gains power in the beginning of the play when he defeats the Thane of Cawdor, a traitor to Scotland. The Witches professed this and it caused Macbeth to believe that whatever they said would come true. When they told him he would one day become the King of Scotland, he decided to take a bloody path, which progressively led him to more power. As his power grew, his corruption did as well, and he simply got rid of any person that threatened his kingship by killing them. Macbeth’s power and ambition untimely commenced to lead him down a slippery, murderous downfall.
Macbeth’s ambition is the essential reason why he turned from a noble Thane to a violent and bloody tyrant. Initially after gaining the title of Thane of Cawdor, he remained humble and morally upright. However, soon after the victory, he heard of the Witches’ prophecy and realized the untapped ambition within himself. Although he had come across ambition, his intention to use it was little. It was Lady Macbeth that fully persuaded Macbeth to use his ambition in order to gain power and position. Under her influence, Macbeth murdered King Duncan to gain kingship and killed the Chamberlains in order to cover up his wrongdoing. His ambition next led him to kill Banquo, a trustworthy, noble, and moral friend. This murder showed just how out of control Macbeth had gotten. At this point, he was no longer under the influence of Lady Macbeth and began to view Banquo as a threat to his advancement instead of an asset to the wellbeing of Scotland. Finally, Macbeth conducts his last major act of violence by murdering Macduff’s family after he is warned that Macduff is in England assembling an army against Macbeth. This killing was wholly purposeless. Macduff was bound to attack Macbeth, because he regarded him as a tyrant. He knew Macbeth was no longer suited to be in a position of authority over Scotland, and this only helped his case.
The other effects of ambition in Macbeth had a small, yet noticeable impact on the main characters. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were both deeply afflicted because of their ambition. Both of them suffered from tremendous guilt as a result of their ambition, and Lady Macbeth eventually killed herself over it. Along with this, Malcom knew ambition was prevalent during Macbeth’s tyranny, and he wanted to prevent it from being present in the position of the throne in the future. He ensured this prevention by testing Macduff. He lies to Macduff and tells him that his vices overbear his virtues, wanting to see whether Macduff is honorable and trustworthy toward Scotland, or whether he has been manipulated by Macbeth and has similar selfish intentions in mind. However, ambition was most seen through Macbeth and his egocentric choices. Ambition not only turned Macbeth into a selfish tyrant, but he continued to murder all those in his path without once considering the repercussions that his decisions would have on the wellbeing of Scotland.
As Macbeth began to gain more power through his ruthless advancements, his morals and nobility were greatly corrupted. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth has done a great deed for Scotland and received praise from King Duncan. In addition to this, Macbeth struggles greatly from an internal moral conflict when he was deciding to kill Duncan. At this point, Macbeth had no gained any significant power, but it was clear that he possessed basic morality. After killing Duncan, he emerged as king and did not look back. Although suffering from guilt, when he had to make a decision about ending someone’s life, he didn't consult his morals nor think twice. It should also be noted that as he moved into a powerful position in Scotland, he no longer need Lady Macbeth’s stern hand to make poor choices. As his independence grew, his pride developed and he turned into a tyrant. His coming into power corrupted him in the sense that he turned from a seemingly invincible warrior that wanted to serve Scotland, to a prideful tyrant that was lusting for power. This corruption was best summarized in the last act of the play when the Witches give Macbeth their final prophecy. They said that, “…none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth,” and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood…Shall come against him.” After hearing this from the Witches, Macbeth is under the impression that it is physically impossible to kill him. However, his pride serves a fatal blind spot. He fails to recognize that Macduff was born from a cesarean section, and that Macduff’s army would use the wood from Birnam to fight against Macbeth’s army. He did not pick up on this because what he heard from the Witches was what he wanted to hear. He wanted his power to be absolute and confirmed, and it was in his mind after their prophecy. These two misconceptions led to Macbeth’s death and ultimate downfall. Macbeth’s power corrupted him into becoming a tyrant, and led him to an internal stage where he fatally misconceived himself as being invincible.
Shakespeare included the themes of ambition and power corrupting through the protagonist, Macbeth. Macbeth’s tragic downfall was a direct result of these two themes. His mind and decision-making were manipulated by the power he gained. Because Macbeth was portrayed as a noble thane in the beginning of the play, the flaws were very easy to spot. The themes of ambition and power corrupting are best seen through the character of Macbeth, as his actions and decisions highlighted the transformation from noble thane to power hungry tyrant.
Essay by Ed Stolarski